IMPACT’s Engaging Partners Team leader Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD from the global health nonprofit, Education Development Center, received a grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation to coordinate with the developers of six evidence-based comprehensive dementia care programs to help define dissemination strategies, establish standards and tools, and conduct training to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based programs under the new Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model. The collaborating programs include:

• The Benjamin Rose Institute Care Consultation (BRI-CC)^TM
• Care Ecosystem
• Eskenazi Healthy Aging Brain Center (HABC 3.0)
• Integrated Memory Care (IMC)
• Maximizing Independence (MIND) at Home
• UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care (ADC) Program

Dr. Epstein-Lubow and team, including IMPACT’s Engaging Partners Team Co-leader Ellen Tambor, MA will lead the National Dementia Care Collaborative (NDCC) which will provide a common platform for health systems and other provider organizations that have already implemented a proven model of comprehensive dementia care or are seeking to establish a new program in response to the call from CMS for applications for the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model.

The Guide Model  was announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in July 2023 to test an alternative payment model for Medicare to pay for comprehensive dementia care that includes support for family caregivers. On November 15, 2023, CMS released a Request for Applications (RFA) (PDF)  for health systems and provider organizations interested in participating in the program. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

Health systems and organizations selected to participate in the GUIDE Model will establish dementia care programs (DCPs) that provide ongoing, longitudinal care and support to people living with dementia through an interdisciplinary team. GUIDE participants will be Medicare Part B enrolled providers/suppliers, excluding durable medical equipment (DME) and laboratory suppliers, who are eligible to bill for Medicare Physician Fee Schedule services and agree to meet the care delivery requirements of the model. (CMS.gov)

The National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment Mentorship Program (NCAEM) is seeking a new cohort for its one-year mentorship program to support clinicians, service providers, researchers, policymakers, and advocates who are focused on improving care for older adults experiencing or at risk of experiencing elder mistreatment. Each year a newly selected cohort participates in the program. Ideal candidates may be from many disciplines, such as social workers, health care workers, community organizers, or researchers willing to be paired with an expert mentor, design and complete a selected project and attend an annual conference at the programs conclusion. Applicants representing or working with underserved populations are encouraged to apply. The first cohort will be selected by early June, 2023.

The deadline to apply is May, 5, 2023. Visit the Collaboratory mentorship program website for more information.

IMPACT’s Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD of the Stakeholder Engagement Team, and Implementation Core Communications Consultant, John Beilenson, AB, MA, are among the 16 members of a new advisory board established by The National Center to Reframe Aging — the nation’s leading organization dedicated to reshaping the conversation about older people. Members are from diverse professional backgrounds such as communications and public relations, research, policy, and law.

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